Anyone else having a "Dry Christmas"

[BlancoNita]

Obviously my favourite time of year, and like many I love a Christmas tipple, baileys and ice, a nice bottle of prosecco whilst making the dinner Christmas day. And all the other days of Christmas

Pregnant this Christmas and delighted but will miss my Christmas festive drinks menu for sure.

Anyone else be it by choice or other reasons not partaking in alcohol this Christmas.

I have tried the Nosecco , sadly it doesn't live up to the real deal. Heineken 0% does actually taste like beer though

[Renovirgin2018]

I don't think I will bother drinking. I am just not that in to it anymore.

I have a lovely virgin mojito the other day so I'm going to try to recreate it. Pretty sure it was soda water, lime, mint and sugar.

[rosie561]

I'm pregnant so having a dry Christmas. I didn't really like the Nosecco either but tried Eisenberg 0% Sauvignon Blanc tonight and that wasn't bad. However, I came to recommend this recipe which is really delicious if you like a G and T!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gin-free-gt

[RhymingRabbit3]

Also pregnant here so not drinking, plus my mum has gone tee total so we are doing it together.

We found the frexienet (sp) 0% fizzy wine was good and also enjoyed Eisberg white alcohol free wine. I also enjoy drinks which are "supposed" to be non alcoholic rather than attempting to recreate alcohol - e.g. bottle green pressés are nice and I like the fentimans rose lemonade.

[inkysplatter]

Ocado sell a delicious alcohol free mulled wine that is ridiculously tasty

[Courtney555]

I'm pregnant. With twins, literally due Christmas Day.

I'll be having a drink. Just one, which will be a champagne glass with half champagne watered down with half lemonade. Which is a bit pants, but it's Christmas Day and I'm going to join in with the family toast when they all arrive.

I think that's fine when pregnant, I don't really ever drink at Christmas apart from wine with dinner, as I'm the host and the cook, so it's never really a boozy affair for me anyway.

If you just want the one drink with dinner, I'd say treat yourself. If you're missing drinking all throughout the day, then that's a different thing, and I'd find a lovely soft drink that you don't usually have. Pink lemonade in a large gin glass with fresh cranberries, a slice of lime and loads of ice looks so pretty and feels like a nice drink if you know what I mean

[stargirl1701]

I like the spicy Seedlip & Fever Tree tonic.

[PopcornAndWine]

I was pregnant last year and really enjoyed Seedlip which makes a very nice G & T substitute. I did have half a glass of wine with dinner though.

[unexpectedthird]

I will be too. I'm not pregnant but the baby will only be 12 weeks.

There's no real reason for me not to have a glass of something but the thought isn't appealing so I'll leave it for this year.

[mrsbyers]

I probably won’t bother , I have CKD basically knackered kidneys as while I can drink I get hungover while drinking which takes away any enjoyment

[elliejjtiny]

Me. I'm on meds that I can't really drink on and I've become a total lightweight since having dc anyway so half a glass of pimms and the room starts spinning. I always drink schloer at Christmas.

[ritzbiscuits]

Zero point Zero (£2.99 from Aldi) is the best alcohol free sparkling that I've tried.

Otherwise, you could drink Fentiman's tonic water with ice/lime. They do nice flavours like elderflower and a mediterranean one.

[TheLittleBrownFox]

@Renovirgin2018 yep that's what's in a virgin mojito, hope you enjoy it! Some supermarkets do bottles of virgin mojito too, which aren't as good but make a pleasant easy posh drink.

Hmm wonder if my nutribullet will crush ice, I fancy virgin mojito now!

My liver tried to do a death a few months ago and isn't quite back to normal yet, so no booze for me. I hardly drink all year anyway, but I'm going to miss the one baileys I would have had, and mince pies won't be the same without brandy butter!

I've bought some posh cordials and sparkling water in supermarkets and things like fentimans cola to keep me cheery. Cant stand most alcohol free fakes, but have heard good things about Norfolk spiced punch so have a bottle. Oh, and the ginger drink from Holland and barrett which I can only have in shot-sized amounts and has as much bite as a spirit anyway

[OverthinkingThis]

Yep, pregnant this xmas so it'll be a dry one for me. We're at PILs this year, I've been trying to convince MIL that I don't actually like white grape Schloer but I'm sure she'll buy some anyway. Will take along some Fever Tree tonics and some Appletiser. Last pregnancy I tried all the 0% beer/wine/fizz and was unimpressed so this time I don't think I'll bother.

[Drum2018]

This will be my 4th Christmas without alcohol - by choice. I don't bother with non alcoholic beers/wines etc. I have a bottle of Lidl lemonade and a bottle of shloer that will do me fine. TBH I'm happy enough if I have a bottle of dilutable orange in the press.

[BiddyPop]

I was due Christmas Day (14 years ago!!). I was not totally dry, as I had a GP who reckoned a relaxed M2B was a good M2B, so a small glass of wine was ok. I did stick to just a small glass and many weeks didn't even have that, but did enjoy one with my Christmas turkey (the only one ever in DGMs house - she wouldn't let me cook my own, and I was not travelling 2.5 hours away to DM/DMIL pulling out of each side of us both). It was at a time when Kaliber and Buckler no longer seemed to be available and the current 0% beers hadn't been invented yet, and I found Schloer too sweet for my taste as the only alternative we could find.

DH and I both quite enjoy a tipple, especially at Christmastime. But I have to drive an awful lot in general, and have got very used to non-alcoholic alternatives.
In the yacht club, the barmen make a "fancy" tonic for me - fevertree elderflower tonic, slice of lime, ice, and a few juniper berries (as they now have those for the fancy G&Ts in the fancy balloon stem glasses!). Which is nice, and drinkable for a reasonable length of time (I find coke or rock shandies too sweet after about 2).
I've recently seen reviews of Aldi's own version of Elderflower tonic, as being as good as Fever Tree.
(Even on long nights out, I tend to alternate G&Ts with just plain T, so I will last the pace).

Sparkling water with a good squeeze of lemon juice, or a proper old-fashioned lemonade (proper lemonade, tasting of real lemons and sweetened enough to be drinkable but not too sweet).

Heineken 0 is good, and Peroni Libra for non-alcoholic beer. DH has also enjoyed Wicklow Wolf's new 0% version, but I haven't tasted that yet. Just a pity they are all the same price as "full fat" (alcoholic) beers....

DH also likes alcohol free ginger beers - he has tried a couple with alcohol, but there's a South African one that he much prefers that is alcohol free (Bundaberg?) and there are a good few other decent ones around.

I also bought a bottle of Seedlip last week, but we haven't yet had a chance to try it - we've been intending to for months but hadn't seen it around. Reviews are good though.

Generally though, I tend to go for things like proper lemonade, elderflower cordial or good blackcurrant or raspberry cordials made up with sparkling water, or Belvoir pressé's, if I am not drinking. DH enjoys non-alcoholic beer, whereas I tend to be more of a wine drinker and haven't enjoyed 0% wines.

For Christmas itself, I spend extra money on our wine, but use it to get nicer wine rather than loads of it - so I will spend €20 per bottle on 2 bottles (we might not open the 2nd, but we might decide we want to have an extra glass each) rather than €40 on 4 bottles of our usual wine.
If your OH will be having some, and you are ok with having a small glass, you could either get a half bottle of something really nice, or a whole bottle and put the cork back into it to let DH finish on 26th. We often put the cork back and finish the bottle on another day (or even over a couple of more days).

[BiddyPop]

Oh, and we have often had the M&S mulled wine to reheat for 26th, and usually a few drivers so also generally have the alcohol free version in a separate pot - tastes a little different but still very tasty when warmed. But as I've made my own the past few years, I can't vouch for M&S recently (and the drivers we used to have haven't attended the recent years for other reasons).

[BlancoNita]

Wow thanks a million for all the great recommendations, I will defo be trying them out.

I too think that too many cokes etc makes me over stimulated and a bit sick.

I love a G&T so will try the seedlip too.

I probably will have a small glass of red or white wine with my dinner as its always theee nicest tasting wine ever when washing down the Christmas roast